France wants to charge prisoners for their time behind bars

The proposal by the justice minister comes amid a series of attacks targeting prisons and guards across the country

French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin has proposed making inmates pay for their prison time as part of a wider push to combat growing violence nationwide.

The move follows a wave of violent incidents targeting prisons and guards across France earlier this month.

In an interview with TF1 on Monday, Darmanin confirmed plans to “amend the law” to support a bill introduced in the National Assembly in March. The justice ministry estimates that maintaining the national prison system costs the state approximately €4 billion per year.

Justifying the proposed measure, Darmanin pointed to historical precedent, stating that “until 2003, prisoners contributed to the cost of their incarceration,” and drew a comparison to healthcare costs, noting that “just as there is a fixed hospital charge, there was a fixed prison attendance charge.”

France had inmate contribution policies in place until 2003, when they were scrapped during Jacques Chirac’s presidency.

The proposal comes in response to a recent wave of violence directed at French prisons and correctional officers across the country during a two-week period in April.

According to France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, a wave of coordinated assaults targeted at least ten prisons over five nights, with attackers using automatic weapons.

In response, nearly 200 investigators have been deployed to identify those responsible. Earlier this week, police arrested 25 suspects in coordinated operations carried out across the country.

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Both Darmanin and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau have pointed to drug traffickers as the likely perpetrators, suggesting the assaults were retaliation for the government’s crackdown on gang leaders operating from behind bars.

Darmanin posted an open letter on X on Monday, reaffirming his “total determination” to protect prison staff. “The absolutely unacceptable violence and threats committed against you [prison officers] and prisons in recent days have rightly shocked you,” he wrote. The letter detailed new measures aimed at ensuring prison guards’ anonymity and safety.

Responsibility for the prison attacks has been claimed by a group calling itself the Defense of the Rights of French Prisoners (DDPF). The group has used its Telegram channel to circulate threats and propaganda videos aimed at correctional facilities and staff.

Meanwhile, France has faced repeated condemnation from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over the state of its prison system, with rulings highlighting issues such as overcrowding and inadequate living conditions. Despite these rulings, reports suggest that issues persist, with some prisons operating beyond capacity and lacking adequate facilities to ensure humane conditions for inmates.